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• The determination of low concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and strontium in natural waters by graphite furnace AAS (PDF 267 KB)

About the report

Methods are described for the determination of low concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and strontium in rainwater and stream water by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The procedures using a graphite furnace are shown to be very precise; comparison of results with waters of known composition, including reference waters, imply good accuracy with detection limits for sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and strontium of 6, 3, 1, 4 and 0.1 µg/L respectively. The secondary resonance line was used for all elements except strontium, for which the primary resonance line was used. Caution must be exercised in determinations of potassium and calcium in waters containing a high concentration of sulfate ion compared with analyte concentration.